Boyfriend has psoriasis on hands!

[calumsgirl]

Hello! My boyfriends has psoriasis on his hands that result in deep and painful spilts in the skin. What can I do to help? He puts creams on it and nothing seems to be working.

[Zwijndrecht]

Try some Bag Balm.

Put it on liberally and then go to bed with some cotton gloves over the hands to keep the Bag Balm under a little control.

Bag Balm is a green metal box with a thicker than petroleum jelly ointment that also has an antibiotic in it. It is very good at healing hands with cracks. It is called bag balm because it was made for cow udders.

Most drugstores carry cute little tins of it these days...if you find it and like it go down to the farm store for a better deal.

[MikeK]

Hello!

I'm 46 and also have p on my hands. (I have plaque p. You're boyfriend's type may be different.) My hands were in very bad shape this winter. They were cracked and bleeding and very, very painful. My derm perscribed Dovonex cream, twice a day, Monday through Friday, and Ultravate, twice a day, on the weekends only. (Ultravate is a very powerful steroid and she wanted me to limit its use to avoid skin thinning.) She also told me to (in her words) "moisturize, moisturize, moisturize" and to avoid anti-bacterial soap. I mostly followed her instructions, except that I sometimes applied Ultravate instead of Dovonex before going to be on Wednesday nights. For moisturizers I rotate between Cetaphil lotion, Eucerin Original Moisturizing lotion (the kind that comes in a pump bottle), and Aveeno. I apply moisturizer almost every time that I wash my hands and whenever the p on my hands start to itch. I use Cetaphil or Jergen's liquid soap in the bathroom sink and Aveeno, Cetaphil or Dove bar soaps in the shower. I kind of like the Aveeno soap. It has oatmeal in it and it helps remove the scales. This has helped a lot. The cracks have healed. My hands look and feel much better. I even felt comfortable enough to work the refreshment stand, at intermission, during a high school play last weekend.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[calumsgirl]

Hi!

Thank you both for your replies! My boyfriend lives in the U.K. and for whatever reason is not receiving very good care there. He is (hopefully!!) moving here soon and I think he can get getter care here. This site helped me to see that he really has suffered more than he has let on ( that stiff upper lip that the Brits have!). He also told me that last year his knee swelled up mysteriously and was painful and sore-- no one could figure out what it was-- after reading this site i am starting to think that it mau be related to psoriatic arthritis. I will investigate further.

Thank you again!

Katie

[rsutton]

My fiancee also has psoriasis on his hands. He actually has it on 100% of his body, but his hands seem to crack the most. It is extremely painful and he's a deliverer for Pepsi, which doesn't help at all. He said that the cream and gloves at night might help, but if the gloves catch on the sores, it might hurt more than help. I suggest trying plastic "doctor" gloves.

-Renee

[PJ Leary]

Regards,

PJ Leary

[bdiamond]

You should see if it gets worse after he eats certain foods. A lot of times (though typical derms never ever suggest this) P is a reaction to excess toxins in the body or allergic reactions. Mine has always been yeast, mold, wheat type products. Alcohol is one way to bring it on quickly. It can't hurt, and the older I get the more I realize how important diet is. It may not be his answer, but it is certainly worth a simple check to see if he is allergic to anything.

[SouthpawGrammer]

Get cotten gloves!!! wear at most times, esp when using creams....and in bed at night. he might wake up and they are off (tee hee) happens to me all the time.

but its hard because we all use our hands all the time..............so i recommend his creams but gloves. cotten ones.

good luck!